Thursday, November 1, 2007

SEWING UPDATE:At this time, my sewing has been non existent. Today I pulled out this project. I really want to finish it to use in a bag. It is a pattern from Threadbare Creations by Rose. I love her patterns, especially the new one she is designing, which she showed on her last blog post. The Masterpiece block is getting a few stitches in it as well. Masterpieces take more time than regular projects, or they would not be Masterpieces! My Pink & Brown is getting a little attention in the last day or so also. My reading is taking priority in my free time, but I am almost finished with the 2 books I am reading, so I will concentrate more on my sewing. I joined an apron swap and also want to do a couple of Thanksgiving projects. I will keep you posted on those.

SPIRITUAL UPDATE:I have this print hanging in my home. It is framed and matted in a beautiful blue and gold matting. It has hung in various places in my home. Right now it is on a wall in the upstairs hallway just outside Charlotte's bedroom door and just across from my sewing/classroom. I want to thank all of you for your prayers for my family over the last few days. We ALL had a wonderful day yesterday and all through the evening. The kids both went to bed with no anxiety and everything was peaceful. God is good. I would like to ease the minds of those who are concerned with Charlotte's exposure. It would be difficult to put yourself in her place or even begin to know what she would feel about these posts (even though she does not read them), unless you had experienced what she has. Well I happen to know someone who has. This person feels that if what she had been through had been exposed, she would not have felt so "crazy and suicidal" throughout her early adult years. I also want to make it clear that I will not ever share Charlotte or Zachary's most private horrors, but I will not deny them either. I respect anyone's opinions in regards to these posts and feel you have a right to your opinions. If you wish to share them I will gladly listen, however I will NOT give place to any opinion when it is given with a mean judgemental spirit. This does NOT "get my attention" and in fact will cause me to not even see your valid points. Let's, please, be kind to one another. This is the last I will say on this. Praise God it is NOVEMBER...a season of Thanksgiving. I am Thankful for all of you!

HOMEMAKING UPDATE:I have not baked anything since my "Niki rolls". I think I will throw a batch of bread dough in the bread machine for dinner. Today is laundry, vacuuming, laundry, dusting, laundry, and the kitchen floor. Did I mention laundry? I had a very late night last night. I remembered at 11:00 PM that the dishwasher needed to be unloaded, dinner dishes were waiting, and coffee needed to be made for the morning (my pot has a timer). I went downstairs and decided to pull a trick on myself that I have not done in FOREVER! I ignored the clean dishes, rinsed and stacked the dirty ones in a sink and wiped the counters after I prepared the coffee pot and went to bed. I can not stand a sink full of dishes in the morning, and that is why my kitchen sinks are always shined before I go to bed. So how in the world can I trick myself out of that? Cover them with a towel! The shame of it all!!!! LOLOK, I have a question...we are all taught to make a bed when we are young. Just how were you taught to put the top sheet on? I was taught to put the design UP. For years I did this and then my OWN mother, who taught me in the first place, tells me I am doing it wrong. You are to put the design DOWN so when you pull the sheet back you are "in" the design. That makes sense, because normally a quilt, comforter, or bedspread would cover the top sheet design. How do you do it, and does it even matter to you? Now that I know, it would make me nuts to do it the other way!KID UPDATE: Like I said earlier, the kids are doing great. We have been watching Kid Nation since it started and they both can not wait for Thursday to watch it. I tape it from Wednesday night. They also have music class on Thursday, which gives me 45 GLORIOUS "alone" minutes a week. I am thinking of signing them both up for violin lessons. Charlotte would love the piano, but we sold ours after the boys gave it up. I could rent violins until I see they really want to stick with it. I ordered matching dresses for me and Charlotte to wear on Thanksgiving. They arrived yesterday and are just beautiful. The quality of the fabric AND the workmanship is incredible. I don't think I could find a nicer dress in a high scale department store. Here is Charlotte in hers. The pics are too cute not to share more than one!

My dress is identical and fits just as nice. The colors do not appear as dark in these pictures. The body of the dress is a very pretty yellow/gold and the print is fall leaves. Lilies of the Field is going to get more business from me, that is for sure!

Kyle, Bud, and Rachel are all fine. Kyle got the new Spiderman 3 movie and is thrilled.

I have no new pictures of TJ. The kid will NOT hold still, so I will share a couple of old ones. Grandma's can do that, right? I took him a pair of Disney "Cars" slippers. I am anxious to see if he likes them. When he is here he is always putting Zach and Paw Paw's slippers on and then "skates" on the wood floors, saying "swippers" the whole time. He has wood floors too. Rachel got him a new shirt that says "What happens at Grandma's house, staysat Grandma's house!" That is so true!!

18 comments:

Your "Threadbare" block looks lovely Bren.I love the print you showed, just beautiful...The sheets, I always have it so that the hem is turned up so that when the top of the sheet is folded back over a quilt or blanket, you only see the stitched side... Does that make sense?Charlotte looks adorable in her new dress, and so grown up with her hair up. Very pretty Charlotte.Looks like we may have Hollie for a few days over Thanksgiving, Thank you Lord.

Love the dress! Love the Block! I think I am going to embroider a design that says "what happens at grandma's stays at grandma's" in anticipation of grandchild # 1lol, your sink is beautiful, i think i will start shining my sink! I have been to the lilies of the field website before, i wondered what it was like.hugs,

Oh I love questions like which way to put the sheets . . . it's the kind of thing that can just go on forever and ever.I grew up with sturdy, white cotton sheets and never really thought about it until I received some lovely patterned sheets when I married. After asking for advice, I settled on the patterns facing each other - fitted sheet up/flat sheet down. This lets me turn the hem over the edge of the blanket and the pattern shows (even though it's all hidden by the bedspread *s*)

oh i forgot to comment on the sheet the pattern should face the mattress, in other words wrong side of the top sheet facing up, so that when you fold the sheet down, you see the right side of the fabric. at least that's what i was always taught, and i had a mother who was martha stewart-ishblessings!

Hi Bren,I just Love your Blog. I enjoyed seeing your stitching, the dress all the post.In blog land not seeing faces sometimes we don't know how to take others comments or emails. I appreciate you taking time to write Charolette's story.As painful as it was.Being a Foster Parent I realize how imporatant it is for people to hear how our children are being treated.They hear it on he news ,paper ,etc. I can not stress enough how we must protect our Precious Children, and stop keeping our heads in the sand!You are a Precious Lady. Blessins',Lib

You've been a busy lady! I LOVE the towel over the sinkful of dishes....very clever way to pretty up something that needed to wait!!

Lilies of the Field...incredible company! I've not been able to order from them for years, but do you know that I STILL am wearing two dresses ordered from them more than 10 years ago!!! Timeless styles are always "in", and the quality of their fabrics and workmanship make for durable garments. Charlotte's dress is beautiful!

Ok Bren im challenging u to a stitching duel!!!.....last week a woman "begged" to buy my completed "Hugs" cushion at any price.......so i have to stitch a new sample for the shop........i havent started yet ( ohhh too much going on) but we'll see who finishes first lolCharlottes dress looks amazing, i love it!!!Isnt it a rule, top sheet down??? lol as long as u sleep well but sometimes, who has time and does it really matter lolHugs xxx

Oh Bren, I just loved this post! Your idea of covering the dirty dishes with a towel is ingenious!! I have always made my bed with the design up. I know this is not the right way, but it's the way I like it! I just love Charlotte's dress. I so miss having my little girl home to dress. I don't think she'd go for matching dresses now at 20 years old!

I always thought that the top sheet should be facing down so when you turn down the bed at night there is pattern on the bottom and top sheet. I also when possible put the sheets on directional so that my little one is not sleeping on barbie upside down. ;-)

About Me

I am a lover of quilts and quilting. I hand quilt and hand applique, though I mostly machine piece. My tastes run to the traditional and my color choices do not stray far from earth type tones, though I am learning to step outside that box.

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